Red's New Cloak
by Wolfa Moon
Summary: What else has been going on in town while the other drama has been unfolding S2. Red doesn't really have a handle on her wolf. But a fellow monster helps her. Whale Poaching. FrakenWolf.


Red's New Cloak

BY Wolfa Moon

S: What else has been going on in town while the other drama has been unfolding. Red doesn't really have a handle on her wolf. But a fellow monster helps her. Whale Poaching. FrakenWolf.

D: No Own. Only fun.

/Red's New Cloak/

Ruby had just gotten off shift and was going to visit her friend Bell and her other growing friend, Victor. They had shared their monsters with one another. Having a kindred spirit to relate. Coming upon the hospital her blood froze. Her animal howled inside of her.

There lying in the parking lot was Dr. Whale, her Victor, bleeding unconscious against the pavement. Running to him she kneels down to check him. Scared inside she reaches him. Feeling his heartbeat against her hand. The animal cooled but still snarled.

"Victor? VICTOR?" She cries as she runs a hand along his bloody brow. "Victor?" she tries to move him. He groans under her administration.

"Ruby," he groans.

"Victor." She smiles. He tries to get up but groans because his head feels like it is exploding. Ruby moves herself close to him to sit him up as he desires. His front is soaked from lying on the wet ground. He shivers to her heat. "Victor, what happened? Who did this to you?" She was going to rip whomever did this guts out. Even if it was the evil queen herself and Snow's prey. She would rip her throat, heart out. His head leaned into her neck. Blood smeared under her chin. Her animal growled. Somebody had hurt her mate. She shakes her head at her wolf growling inside of her. Victor is her friend. Sure she wanted more but after her last boyfriend experience.

"The patient. The…." Outsider. The one who is not one of them.

"He did this?" Moving to see more of Victor's face.

"Yeah," he breathed through the pain. "I tried to discharge him and he…" a hand went to his neck." She moves the hand away to see a long slice of Red along his neck. "He had a scalpel."

"He did this," she growled. Pain filled eyes look at her glowing ones.

"Ruby?" She places her hand over the wound.

"I'm gonna get him." This outsider had hurt her friend. Her wolf screaming, mate. Monster to monster.

/Red's New Cloak/

The change is a blur but she knows she is running. The blood of her mate marking her neck where he had rested. The man had hurt him. Hurt her man. Smelling the distinctions between the town she knows. Then to the one of unknown and a dash of medical. She found him. The man had tried to get out of town. Slipping into the woods. The woods that became her home on moon nights. Fool.

/Red's New Cloak/

Emma was walking back to her mom's place with Henry after a walk by the water. Enjoying the night of no one trying to kill or destroy them.

"Officer Swan!" a voice cried. Turning she watched as Dr. Whale collapse against a building, hand to his neck. Grabbing a tight hold of Henry she moves to him. Her hand reaching for the slumping man.

"Whale, what happened?"

"The outsider, he," his head exploded with pain. Eyes wincing in pain to try and control it.

"He hurt you." She concluded. "Where is he?"

"Rube… Ruby went after him."

"Ruby?" Unbelieving that Ruby would go off half cocked. Looking up she spied the almost full moon. A hand gripped her to get her to focus. She saw the pain the man was trying to hold in. There was more. "Where did they go?"

"Woods," he breathed heavily. Emma began to go but the hand held tightly.

"You stay here."

"Emma," he spoke with force. Turning to stare at him. "She wolfed out." Knowing the term that Red used when her inner animal came out. Emma's eyes going wide.

"It's not a full moon." Henry stating the obvious.

"I know kid. Stay here with Whale, I gotta…"

"Emma, I need to go with you." She looks to Whale who can barely stand. Who looks to be fading right before her.

"You're hurt."

"Please," he begged. He never begged. Not that she knew of. She gets him up moving them to her car that is not far away.

Once inside they drive toward the woods. Going a little off road as far as her little car would go. Windows down they listened. Then they heard. There was a scream followed by a growl. Doors opened.

"Henry, stay in the car."

"But I wanna."

"Ruby is in her wolf form. I don't want her to hurt you."

"But you."

"Please stay." Henry gave a great sigh but conceded to his mother wishes. Moving out of the car she sees Whale leaning heavy on the bonnet. "Maybe you should stay too."

"I need."

"You can barely stand." A scream separated the silence that was building between their eye battle of wills of going and not going.

Whale pushed himself off the hood. His internal will pull him to help Ruby. Help a fellow monster. The only other person who understood him. Under their own will talked with him. Using a tree to support him he listens for another beckoning scream or growl. Emma comes up behind him.

"Are you sure your up for this?"

"No, but I need to be there." Emma grabs a hold of him helping him toward the sounds. She has no clue as to why Whale is coming. Whale knows why, he never would admit it out loud. To scared of his past. To scared to be happy. All his happiness ever got him was a silent house filled with ghost.

Topping the crest of the hill they see it. Ruby as her wolf prowled around the man. The man crabbed backwards away from her. She would lunge taking his legs out and pouncing on and over him. She was toying with him.

The man is bleeding from several bit marks made by the wolf. His heart beating loud in his chest. So loud it almost burst out of his chest. Sure he wanted to stay because of all the magic and unexplainable things going on around him. But maybe this cat ate off more than he could chew. For the cat is about to be eaten by a wolf.

"Please, don't hurt me." The wolf growled at him. Her mind going to the other man who he had left bleeding in an empty parking lot. Did the man care for him at all? Did he think there would be no consequences? She grabbed his leg again making the afflicter howl in pain.

"Ruby stop," Emma tried to get the wolf's attention with her shout. It didn't work. Pulling out her gun she wondered what to do. Fire a shot into the air. Shot her friend. A hand stops her.

"Don't." Emma looks to Whale as he sees the gun. His hand resting a top her's. "Don't" the begging back again. No the pleading of innocence. Moving away from her she watches as he stumbles toward the danger.

"Whale," she warns. He doesn't listen.

"Ruby," the wolf growled, chopping harder on the man's ankle. The man stared at the doctor. The man he had used as a shield to get out of the prison of a hospital.

"Doctor," the man tried to be cut off with a painful howl. The wolf chomping down hard again. Saying, how dare you talk to him? Ask him for help.

Victor glared at the man. The man he was saving. But he really wasn't there to save the outsider. He is there to save Ruby form the guilt. Guilt of what the wolf does when freed from her mortal human coil.

"Red," he tried this time. His strength wading in the waters. The tide going out. "Let him go." He tries. But he can no longer stay buoyant in the wave. He crumbles to his knees. Emma wants to move toward him. To protect him from this foolish sacrifice.

Inside Emma knowing that Ruby would never forgive herself for hurting Whale. A man she had watched with Ruby. Who made her laugh at being a monster. A monster she sees before her but she knows the truth. The truth of her curse and the truth of Ruby's heart toward the man kneeling before her. "Ruby," he tries again.

The wolf chomps down on the man who hurt the man hurting before her. She whines.

Victor can't remain kneeling for too much longer. He knows he has lost a lot of blood and still is. Sure the man didn't cut that deep but he left a long gash near enough to the artery. The pain erupted behind his eyes again. Crying out a hand goes to his temple. Shutting out the night he squeezes his eyes tight. He can't focus for much longer. The cool ground underneath his fingers calling to his warm head. He needs…

Something wet touches his neck. It licks from his neck to his head. He smiles as he won.

The wolf watched the man she came out her to revenge kneel as easy prey before the beast that could finish him. Watching him close his eyes in pain the wolf whimpers. Dropping the ankle she moves to the blood singing to her. The smell of him calming her. The wolf sniffs into his hair. Smelling the smell that she called mate in her mind. Her kindred. The wolf opens it mouth to lick at the blood soaking into the once white lab coat. Snuffling more into his neck. Her mate leaning into her. A hand attentively sliding welcomingly into the fur. The wolf purrs in content.

"Come back to me Red." He speaks into the large ear of the canine. The weight leaning more into the wolf. The hand giving a final squeeze before all his energy is spent.

"Victor, VICTOR!" Emma watched in amazement at how the vicious wolf who had attacked others without question. People she knew and loved. Then to see the wolf act like any ordinary dog to a loyal master. Rubbing and licking the bleeding doctor. Startled to see her change back to her human as Victor collapsed from all the blood lost. Ruby gripped him tighter to him. Calling for him. "Victor," Emma moved toward the naked once wolf gal. Her hand flying to check Whale's Pulse.

"He's alive." She looks to Red who is crying holding him close as she can to her. "Ruby," she tries again. Her friend looks at her. "He's alive. We need to get him to the hospital." This breaks through the still fogged brain of coming back to being human.

Emma tries to help Ruby as she lifts Whale into her arms.

"I got him." Amazed really at how strong Ruby is. She is carrying him bridal style. His head lolling into her neck. He groans. "I have you, Victor." The residual wolf energy helping her carry the man the wolf called mate. Smiling inside at the wolf. The wolf that didn't harm him. The wolf that wanted to protect him. And also he became a force that turned the wolf back into a girl. A new Red cloak to wear.

/Red's New Cloak/

"You saw that. Tell me you saw that?" The outsider cried as Emma approached him. The man's eyes wide with pain and awe of what just transpired. Emma pulls out some zip-ties.

"Mr. Mendell, you are under arrest for malicious intent and physical harm on an innocent." The man scoffs at her. Looking at her as if she grew ten heads.

"Innocent, none of you are innocent. And what about the girl? She turned into a wolf. She should be the one locked up." He protested loudly.

"Yeah well," taking a deep breath in the cold of night. Then she smiled at her new magical world. "I'm not the one who hurt the wolf's mate. Don't you think you would be safer behind bars after she sees that her man is finally taken care of?" The eyes shrink to understanding. Seeing that there are two ways this can go.

"Yeah, jail sounds good."

"Thought so."

/Red's New Cloak/

Snow and Charming walk into the hospital to see what commotion has transpired inside their kingdom.

"Emma," Snow calls. Emma turns from where she is watching into a room. Holding a finger to her lips. The royal couple comes over. Looking in their eyes go wide.

Ruby lay on the bed asleep besides an equally asleep Whale. Taking in the scene they can see the blood bags attached to the injured man. David turns to Emma.

"What happened?" Emma sighs as she turns from the lovely scene.

"Our guest tried to leave. Took Whale as a hostage and cut his neck and gave him a concussion. Ruby, Red found him and went all wolfy out on the guy. Whale found me and informed. He made sure he came with. Thank god he did." Snow looked from the scene to Emma. Question there to continue. What happened next? "We followed the screaming and snarling into the woods. Red had found him and was playing with him. In the playing with your food kinds sense. Whale walks toward her and the wolf become like a dog with it's owner. Licked him then turned back into Ruby. Whale passed out. Ruby carried him back to the hospital and I took Mr. Mendell to the sheriff station."

"Didn't the wolf hurt him?"

"Yes and we sent a EMT to check him out." They look shocked at their daughter for letting a man bleed in jail. "Do you really want him around them?" they all look into the room to see that Ruby has moved from beside Whale to laying her head on his chest. Her arms wrapping themselves as much as they can around him. The real shocker is to see Victor's one available arm holding her close.

"So Whale is the wolf's kryptonite?" David asks. Emma's eyes go wide at her father making a comic book reference. He smiles. "We may have been stuck here and um. Henry has a collection of comic books and movies. We bonded." They all smile.

"It appears so." Snow looks in.

"We'll just have to see about tomorrow night."

/Red's New Cloak/

Victor had not woken since she has brought him to the hospital. Her heart hurting seeing him so fragile. The wolf whimpered inside. Smiling and grinning as the animal cooled it paws behind her human physic. It was getting late. The moon was not full last night but full enough for her animal to burst out.

Tonight is the full moon. She knows she should lock herself up. Go to Granny's and keep everyone safe. But she couldn't leave him. After relieving herself she crawled back into bed with him. The soothing beat of his heart under her ear calmed her, calmed them. Smiling she let the beat lull her to sleep. If the wolf came it would not hurt him. She hopes. But she can't leave him.

Granny shows up at the hospital closely followed by Emma and the others who waited for Ruby to come to the dinner for her monthly lock up. She didn't appear. Fearing the worst they head to where she has been all this time. Entering the hospital they head up to the private room that Whale was given. Opening the door, Granny gasps. There lying in bed is doctor Whale asleep. His arms holding a very human Red to his chest. The moonlight streaming in through the windows prove that there is no hoax that she is still human when the night is full.

"Red," Granny calls. The girl stirs in the sleeping man's hold. "Red?" Eyes open to look at her.

"Granny?" she mumbles as she lifts her head from the soft chest. Looking over to see her friends there. All of them looking worried. Her eyes go to the window. The moon is full. Lifting her hand she raises it to see that she is still human. "How?" she looks to them. There was no Red cloak to stop the curse. Her eyes look down to Victor. Her curious hand wanders to his face. The face leaning into her touch. "Victor you are a savior."

"Red come here for a moment." Granny wanted to test if he really is a Red cloak in this reality that Regina brought them to. Red nods and understands. They need to know if it is a fluke. To see if she is cured.

Attentively getting up she moves from his warm embrace. Her granny smiles with her hands out to accept her. Yet once she leaves the warm bed her blood turns cold, to fire. She growls with her inner animal. She turns trying to crawl back into bed. David rushing in to help the changing girl back to her cloak. She thrashes in his attempt to help. The wolf snipping at him. Fighting they crash into the bed. David with a firm hold on the wolf, on Ruby. She is human fully again. Looking up to see Whale with a hand on Ruby's head.

The commotion moved his bed and he awoke to see the struggle. Inside him he felt the pull. Without thinking he rested his hand against her soft hair. Then everything stopped. Pain burned anew inside him. Pain exploded from behind his eyes. He tries to pull his hand back to apply pressure to the pain but he can't. Ruby has a tight grasp on his hand. She moves with his hand to jump back onto the bed. Feeling himself pulled back to be cradled against warmth. Hands moving to his temples to rub away the pain.

"Sorry Victor. I'm so sorry." Sorry for what, he wonders. She is in bed with him and the pain is ceasing.

David looked in wonder as a simple touch turned the wolf back to their friend. Seeing Whale in pain Snow went out to get a nurse. Yet the room remained silent as Ruby wrapped herself in her cloak, in Victor. Moving away from them he stands with the others.

"How? He isn't even from our world." Granny just smiles. Her Red is safe against the moon.

"Ours is not to question, just to accept." She exits the room. Red is safe for tonight and hopefully all future ones as well. Snow bypasses Granny as she enters with a nurse. Watching the shocking scene before them they watch as Red growls at the female nurse. The wolf claiming what is hers. The nurse jumps back.

"Red please my head is splitting," Ruby may not be wolf but parts are still surfacing. She buries her face into his neck. "Go ahead, " he alerts the nurse. She does it quickly before leaving the room in a hurry. David smiles reentering the room with Snow by his side.

"How?"

"Who cares? It's magic." David looks to them then to his Snow. Shaking his head.

"Love."

/Red's New Cloak/

Victor got better and Red was a constant by his side. Like Snow and Charming they were inseparatable. Headaches remained for a while which is normal considering the blood loss and the concussion he received. That still left them with what to do with Mr. Mendell. Her wolf still wanted to tear him apart for hurting her mate. Victor and old habits wanted to use a blade for a blade. But didn't. He hugged her close as they sat in on a council meeting on what to do with him. After what he saw. Turning to Rumplestiltskin for a remedy. Sure he didn't have the purest of heart or intentions. But he still didn't want this world to vanish. He had his family, he had his magic. Looking to the new sweethearts. That is what he is missing. Belle.

Victor looked straight at the man who had let him crossover with a way to save his brother. Yet also locked him away to this realm without him. Silver lining is the warm body beside him. Dr. Whale is known as a player. Victor on the other hand was not. He was of the old Victorian mind of love. The woo and cherishing each tender moment.

A spell was devised to remove all his memories of Storybrooke and a little more than that just in case. Magic is tricky that way. But to save them all. He would be alive but there would be gaps. Decision made the town breathed a sigh for a moment. Sure Snow had her constant battle with Regina. People getting sucked into their orbit of what is the right thing to do. Yet there is still life and always a way.

/Red's New Cloak/

Sitting by a window in a house not far from the evil queens. A house larger than the one she was use to. Normal suburban house, big enough for a whole family. Yet inside had lived a very lonely man. A man who had lost his worlds and what he knew. Lost his brother and anybody else he knew. A house meant for many but still meant for one, now two.

His hand goes to his temple. Pain still spiked through his head. Then there are hands on his shoulders pulling him around. She smiles at him. He smiles back.

"Headache?"

"They'll go away." He accent filtered in. She smiles at him pulling him to the couch. This is how most evenings are spent since that first night. The moon is not full yet again but she remains glued to him. Both stuck in each other's orbit. Pulling him down she rest his head in her lap. Her delicate, deadly hands going to his temples.

"How'd I ever get so lucky?" He asks looking up at her. She smiles. Bending over She gives him a chaste kiss to his lips.

"The same can be said about me." He smiles at her. Letting her run her hand though his hair. Smiling he buries her face into her stomach. They sit like this for a while letting night fall around them. Ruby letting him rest in her lap. This became her favorite pastime, so far. Her inner animal pleased at being able to protect and comfort him. "My mate."

/Red's New Cloak/

Author note: Was inspired by the show and the works of LadyVibeke87. Should check her out.


End file.
